What Is a Candle Memory?

A candle memory refers to a candle’s wax retaining a “memory ring” that surrounds the wick after it burns, creating a melt pool and releasing an intensified scent into the air.

While that is the real definition of it, Modern Innkeeper wants you to put this in a different light (yes, that is a pun): candles are a fantastic way to ensure guests create fond memories during their stay.

How so, and why candles?

Glad you asked.

 

How Candles Create Memories

We primarily use our eyes and ears to gather information, but it is our sense of smell that causes us to recollect significant memories and feel those same emotions again, as we previously alluded to.

This is because the olfactory bulb, where scents process, is on the bottom part of the brain.

Just like the areas of your brain in charge of processing emotions and memories.

When these internal intricacies collide, they form smell-based memories you have with you forever!

 

Why Candles Over Other Fragranced Products?

There are other items like deodorizers, shout out to shower onions, capable of making your vacation rental smell pleasant, but having candles is the preferred method for multiple reasons.

 

Festive

Candles are not seasonal purchases, but every season has its own candle that fits its vibe. Here is what we mean:

●     Cherry blossom and honeysuckle are popular in spring.

●     Sea salt and coconut are ideal for summer.

●     Apple and cinnamon complement the fall.

●     Vanilla and peppermint are appropriate for the winter.

 

Add this seasonal nuance to your vacation rental so guests can really embrace whichever season they visit in.

Here is how this works to your benefit.

Let us pretend you have a coconut-scented candle on your vacation rental’s back patio table when a family visits one summer.

Parents and kids enjoy one of the best weeks of their lives, and their late dinners on the patio included this coconut candle filling the air with its spellbinding aroma.

Then the next summer they are at a neighbor’s house for a barbecue and smell the same candle.

What will this make them think of?

How great of a time they had at your vacation property the summer prior!

This is forever imprinted in their minds, and each time they catch a whiff of a coconut candle, they will be itching to return to the family’s favorite destination that is your rental.

Never underestimate the power of the nose.

 

Candles are Hot Right Now

Sorry, that pun was too good to pass up.

But on a serious note, the candle industry is BOOMING!

Here is the evidence: the candle market was worth $3.54 billion in 2019, and projections expect it to hit $6.64 billion by 2027, according to this report.

Pretty substantial, right?

What this means for you is you have plenty of options to choose from in terms of where you can get candles for your vacation property, and a good portion of those may be from small businesses in your rental’s vicinity.

What a terrific way to support local business!

Shop around to see which stores in your area sell scented candles and fill your vacation rental with them.

Here is a fun idea: let your guests know where you bought them because if they like your candles enough, they may visit the same store to snag a souvenir.

This is an effective way to enhance the local experience.

If you cannot find a store selling candles in your area, check out these 30 businesses that have found success doing so on Etsy.

 

Your Guests Want Them

Research shows female millennials make up a large portion of the candle market’s consumer base, and at least 89 percent of travelers who rent vacation properties are millennials, according to our survey (over half of the participants were female).

There is not much to elaborate on here.

Just give the people what they want!

 

At Wick’s End

In closing, candles are a great addition to both your rental’s trendy interior decor and/or outdoor space, and mold everlasting memories your guests will reflect fondly on for the rest of their lives.